In 2019 it is important to dispose of confidential and unwanted documents, both to protect the business and their customers, and to also clear space and recycle unwanted documents. Digital storage and security are also fast becoming a hot topic. Below are five tips and considerations for document destruction.

Considering Costs

Paper shredding is a relatively inexpensive way to dispose of documents in a safe manner. If the document destruction is for a business then consider hiring professionals, as shredding equipment startup costs could prove to be costly. Shredding documents has never been more affordable, and shredding paper documents can be environmentally friendly as long as you recycle in the appropriate manner according to your area.

Hiring the Professionals

While shredding documents can be done by yourself or your business, many industries require thousands of documents to be shredded every week. By hiring professionals to dispose of unwanted or confidential documents, you ensure that they will be doing so in a professional manner.

Digital Destruction

In this day and age, digital destruction of data is just as important as paper shredding. In fact, many of us conduct the large majority of our business electronically. While deletion of data can be done easily on almost any operating system, things such as cookies, hidden files and backup files may still be on the hard drives. It is important to make sure hard drives and data storage devices are properly disposed of, to avoid the potential compromise of confidential data to fraudsters and other criminals.

Proper Equipment

Shredders come in many shapes and sizes, and additionally shred documents into all shapes and sizes. When looking to dispose of documents yourself, consider the number of documents you assume will be shredded on a regular basis, how confidential the documents being disposed of are and the regulations regarding document destruction in your area. Be careful when choosing equipment to destroy documents, as some shredders may not satisfactorily shred documents to the point of no return. This could potentially put documents at risk to would-be fraudsters, who in some instances will be able to piece together shredded documents and make them legible.

Train Staff & Shred Regularly

If doing shredding and destruction in-house, it is important to train employees on how to properly dispose of documents, what documents should be disposed of and when documents should be disposed of accordingly. This is particularly important in businesses dealing with more confidential documentation, as the company can be held liable for any mishaps. Additionally, maintain a regular schedule and strategy regarding document destruction, ensuring everything goes according to plan and regulation.

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